EVANSVILLE -- The Castle Knights have survived another test. And set another school record in the process.

With its length and athleticism wreaking havoc all night, Castle advanced to the championship of the Banterra Bank Southern Indiana Athletic Conference Tournament after defeating North 41-30 Thursday at Bosse High School.

The win pushes the Knights, ranked No. 5 in Class 4A, to 18-0 on the year. That is now a new school record for consecutive victories in a single season.

"This team is just a blessing," said Castle coach Bob Meier. "We have a great coaching staff, but these girls are ball players. They didn't need us to be where we are at. But we sure are glad to have been along for the ride at this point in time."

It was far from a normal outing for the Knights, particularly on offense. Castle looked out of sync for most of the game and shot only 40 percent from the field.

But credit to the Knights for persevering even when they didn't bring their 'A' game. They never trailed and held North off the scoreboard until late in the first quarter.

"We did a lot of watching," said Meier. "There was probably more than one five-second call that they should have called. We really struggled to get into an offense. But they are resilient and are competitors."

The Huskies gave a spirited effort and cut the deficit to 16-15 in the second. But every time North got close, Castle had a run. 5-0 in the second after North cut the lead to one. 10-0 late in the third when the Huskies pushed within five.

Jessica Nunge was the catalyst for the Knights, finishing with 12 points, six rebounds and five steals. Chloe Mills pumped in eight of her 10 points in the second half, as Castle lead 36-21 early in the fourth.

The Huskies (14-4) got within single digits late but missed several layups that would have made it a two-possession game. Anna Newman led North with 13 points.

"It wasn't a night where we were clicking, but we somehow managed big plays when we needed to get one," said Meier. "They have had a lot of success and they know what it looks like."

North coughed up 20 turnovers and was out-rebounded 33-25. Julia Pate had seven points for Castle. The championship will be played Saturday at Central High School at 5:30 p.m.

Memorial rallies in second half to beat Central

Bruce Dockery joked that Grace Lensing doesn't really get going until the calendar turns to January.

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Memorial’s Soffia Rieckers (31) is guarded by Central’s Hya Haywood (13) as she dribbles down the court during the first quarter at Central High School in Evansville, Ind., Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018.(Photo: SAM OWENS/ COURIER & PRESS)

It is that time of the year. And the senior captain came through in a big way Thursday night.

Lensing finished with a career-high 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Tigers in a 55-53 come-from-behind victory over Central in the SIAC Tournament semifinals.

"I realized that my team needed me to step up as a leader and as a captain," said Lensing. "I tried calling for the ball more. We all focused and decided that we needed to pull everyone together."

But there appeared a time when her effort would be in vain. Central stars Hya Haywood and Claire Geiser were ripping the defense to shreds. The duo combined for 29 points to give the Bears a 35-24 halftime lead.

Dockery had the Tigers ditch their press and switch to a matchup zone. That change, which resulted in eight third-quarter turnovers by Central, helped Memorial get back in the game. A Peyton Murphy three cut the deficit to 44-41 heading into the fourth.

"Our press was not being effective," said Dockery. "And then we moved (Ryleigh) Anslinger into the high post because she is pretty active. It made it tougher for them to guard us. And then we were able to get the ball inside to Lensing."

CLOSE

Chad, Kyle and Gordon are back from hiatus to discuss the SIAC boys and girls basketball tournament as well as the annual Night of Memories with Don Mattingly and company.
Sports / Courier & Press

But Central (13-3) made its own push and led 52-47 with four minutes left. Memorial answered with baskets from Lensing and Soffia Rieckers before Murphy drilled a corner three to put the Tigers up two with 1:17 left.

The bomb from the freshman came on a second-chance opportunity after sophomore Mallory Russell snagged a rebound in traffic.

"It was a good shot," said Dockery. "And Mallory Russell hung on to the rebound this time. She didn't let them take it away from her."

Central had multiple chances at the line to either tie or take the lead. However, the Bears missed five of their final six attempts. Russell made one of two with under 20 seconds left for the Tigers, who then held off the Bears at the other end.

Rieckers added 16 points and six steals, while Russell totaled seven points and seven boards for Memorial (11-5). It sets up a championship battle against Castle. The Tigers lost their first meeting with the Knights, 58-45.

Haywood produced 21 points, seven steals and six rebounds for Central. Geiser finished with 18 points.